Unofficial Portkey Archive

Tucked into one four-poster bed, three teenagers sat on different corners as the rest of the school engaged in lunch. Most other students remained in the Great Hall for the affair, but these three Slytherins grabbed a few bites, just an apple and some bread, in order to obtain some privacy for more sensitive matters.

"Always figured it'd end up being Weasley. That pompous prick has had a jealousy boner for you ever since you stepped foot here," Blaise scoffed.

"What can you expect out of Gryffindors?" Tracey looked directly at Harry, not doing anything so conspicuous as raising an eyebrow or offering any suggestion, but he received the message just the same.

"The House doesn't matter. We have a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor. Don't you find that odd?" Harry parried Tracey's question with one of his own.

"Jealous, the whole lot of them," Blaise emphasized. "Look at both of them. Little shits who've never been good enough to defeat you and definitely not smart enough to figure out a way."

Harry thought of Justin's improvement among the rooftops during their encounter in Battle class but kept that detail to himself.

"It still bothers me. Justin and Ron working together along with two other people we've yet figured out? Why wait so long? It was months since their first attack on me and then Weasley's attack now. There's no...reason for it," Harry muttered.

"Sod all reason, Harry! They attacked you if you've forgotten. We can't just let that pass," Tracey said.

Harry waved her off, shifting on the bed so he could bite into his apple without spilling the juices all over his lap. "We'll take some time first. I have a source in Gryffindor that could be of help."

"A source in Gryffindor? What witchery is this?" Blaise expressed surprise.

"Is that source trustworthy?" Tracey feigned innocence.

They were walking a dangerous tightrope. Every mention of anything Gryffindor from Tracey could have been a prerequisite to revealing the cave and his subsequent arrangement with Granger. He didn't quite know the extent of which Tracey would hold on to this secret. Furthermore, there was nothing he could do to stop her. He hoped it wasn't true, but in his heart's heart, it was only a matter of time for her.

"As trustworthy as sources can possibly be."

* * * * *

However trustworthy Granger might have been, he knew it would be no easy to task make her turn on her own House. The status of the relationship between Granger and Weasley was unknown to him, but it would have been tough for Harry to turn on even Malfoy at the request of another House. He could only imagine the enormity of the task before him if Malfoy of all people was to be the person of comparison.

For that reason, Harry thought it was best if Tracey not be present for this meeting as well. She was understandably upset, though at least clear enough to see reasoning behind his actions. It was one thing for Harry to probe her with questions of Weasley, it was another for Tracey to antagonize her to the point of inevitable decline.

Customary to their arrangement, Harry patiently waited for Granger to show up at the wall that would magically part, much like the entrance to Diagon Alley. Granger appeared five minutes early per usual and signaled for him to emerge from the nearby alcove. Harry nodded at her and didn't speak as they entered the cave yet again.

They sat down, across from each other as the blue shades of the lake above them cast a dim glow over the cave. Fishes and Merpeople swum above and once or twice, a Mermaid would peer down at them, giving them a curious look with their drawn back faces and fins.

"I thought we could work on your spell tonight. I figured we'd wait for Occlumency until Davis came back to these lessons. She's still coming back, right?" She phrased it condescendingly, not bothering to hide her contempt.

"She is. She's just taking a break for a little bit," Harry quickly lied.

Granger rolled her eyes. "Don't see the point in that. She's never going to learn if she puts this off. We've already lagged behind schedule trying to make her catch up."

"She's trying, alright?"

"Trying," Granger muttered. "Anyways, I've got a couple of different things to try for tonight. I was looking at a few different studies and a common trend I noticed was that most of them discovered the spells they were pursuing when they weren't actively thinking about it. It's sort of that theory that the unconscious mind has untapped potential. Your particular spell is a bit more complex, but I thought we'd try a few exercises that might help in that regard."

"What do you have mind?" Harry asked, patiently waiting for a opening where he could ask something about Weasley without overtly tipping his hand.

"It's a bit like Occlumency, but none of the actual spells. Come here," she ordered.

Granger stood up and walked over to the edge of the small pond near the rear of the cave. Curiously, Harry followed her until she sat down right beside it, crossing her legs and smoothing her skirt over her knees. Motioning for Harry to sit across from her, Granger waited patiently as he pretzeled his legs until they were both sitting cross legged by the water.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes," she instructed.

As Harry closed his eyes, he sarcastically said, "And I suppose you want me to clear my mind as well."

"I actually wasn't going to. I know you can't do it."

"How reassuring of you."

With his eyes closed, Harry was acutely aware of the water splashing against the rocks and the drip, drip of a single drop of water splashing against a surface somewhere in the cave. He could hear the beating of his heart and smell the earthiness of the mud and stone mixed within the atrium. Last of all, he could smell Granger's light perfume and hear her even breathing.

"I want you to concentrate on a spell. Pick the first spell that comes to your mind."

It might have just been his imagination, but her voice sounded more soothing than normal as if she were trying to persuade him. Ironically, the first spell that came into his mind was Lumos. For some reason, he associated that spell with the spell he was trying to create.

"Got one," he said.

"I want you think about it. I want you to think about how you use that spell. Concentrate on creating the spell in your without a wand."

"Wandless magic?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"No, don't concentrate on that. Just focus on the spell in your head like you have a wand in your hand."

Usually, Harry would just say Lumos and that would be the end of it, but for Granger's sake, he tried to organize the steps he would take. Yes, he would say Lumos, but there was something...else. It wasn't something he consciously thought, but there was an underlying focus on creating a light. Yet, it wasn't an intention to create light. It was more a realization that the light came naturally from his magic. Did his magic produce the light?

"Open your eyes, Harry."

He did and for the briefest of moments, there was nothing but a glowing light hovering in front of them. The rest of the light that came from the torches and the glow of the moon evaporated or was centered around this ball of light that hung in between them. The light glow was bluish and in that split second, he could see Granger's astonished face.

Then the ball of light disappeared and as if there was a light switch in the cave, the torches and light of the moon came back to life.

"What was that?" Harry quickly asked, wanting to see that magical light again.

"Wandless magic I suspect," Hermione's voice held a breathless quality about it. "Rather strong wandless magic too. I want to...let me see if I can do it."

So they repeated the process, Granger closing her eyes as she focused on the Lumos spell too. Harry held his breath as soon as her eyes were closed, looking around as the lights grew dimmer. His heart beat in excitement, the prospects of wandless magic exhilarating him. Yet, there was no hovering ball of light. The torches certainly dimmed and there was a certain glow around Granger, but it wasn't the same and when she opened her eyes, it was the first time he registered acute disappointment in her expression.

"Try again?" Harry hopefully asked.

Granger shook her head in disappointment, rubbing her cheek thoughtfully. "No. You seem to have a better of grasp of this from the onset. Do you understand what you did though?"

When Harry shook his head, she launched into her professorial dictation.

"You certainly do have the ability to channel magic unconsciously. Judging by how you took all the light from everywhere else, it's a little uncontrolled but it's certainly there. The focus and concentration of it..."

"I think you might be telling me I did a good job," Harry teased with a smile.

She glared at him, still intimidating though they were both sitting down at equal height. "You missed the part about uncontrolled. If you could focus it...that would be something to look at. Either way, it shows that there has to be a way to unlock your knowing of this spell you want to make."

"Can I try it? Try this method to create the spell?" Harry asked.

She nodded though a bit hesitant. "I don't see why not. Considering your spell though, could you make an effort not to concentrate it on me?"

Harry chuckled and closed his eyes, focusing on the spell he wanted to create. Instantly, he recognized the difference between this unfound spell and a simple Lumos. The Lumos came instinctively, almost without recognition of thought. This new spell was harder to understand and even more difficult to think about. He didn't even need to open his eyes to know that it didn't work.

"Nothing, huh?" Harry asked as he looked up.

"Unfortunately not."

Harry uncurled his legs, working out the cramps as he did so. "Figured it wouldn't work. I knew it as soon as I started thinking about the spell."

"Unconscious mind," Granger muttered. "Maybe I can look up a couple things in the library about the researches who successfully created new spells. A couple of them attended Hogwarts. Some insights on how they did it would be valuable..."

She closed her eyes, murmuring to herself and allowing Harry a brief moment of unabashed inspection. The bags under her eyes were noticeable, so much so that it was starting to wear into her appearance. Granger had never been particularly skinny, more average than anything, but the definition of her cheekbones were far more prominent than before the winter solstice. It was in her neck, pulled tight against her throat, that Harry could see the extent of her weight loss.

Apart from that, she was the same as always. Make up was almost minimally applied though he knew it was there. Tracey once told him that all girls wore make up, it was just a matter of what they wanted to draw attention to. Her hair was an unconfined mess that even Harry occasionally cringed at when it was a particularly bad day for her and her clothes were loose and baggy, her robes almost swallowing her whole.

It was difficult in the dark and in between sessions of tense Occlumency and fruitless endeavors to create a spell, but Harry finally noticed her rather haggard appearance.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Her eyes snapped open, the chocolate brown marred with flecks of blue from the reflection of the water. There was a small window into her soul as fear and sadness flicked across her eyes but the mask slipped on imperceptibly as she nodded docilely in response.

"Fine, Harry. Just frustrated with this spell. I think I need to do more research. Perhaps a different vector of attacking this problem."

It struck Harry how nonchalantly she played it off and an even bigger question arose in his mind. Had she talked to anyone about the death of her parents? Surely, she must have spoken to Longbottom. Whenever he saw the Gryffindors in class or in the hallways, those two were always paired together. She had made more than one passing remark about Longbottom's steadfast friendship and he had even seen her protectiveness of him during Battle class. Yet, he was curious. Unfortunately, other problems had to be prioritized.

"Can I ask you something, Granger?"

"Yeah, but I don't have any more ideas for your spell right now," she answered.

Harry shook his head. "It's not about that. It's about Weasley."

"There's several," she responded dryly.

"The one in your year. Ron."

"Don't really think you need tips to beat him, Harry. He talks a lot, but that's probably due to insecurities with his brothers more than anything else. You have the journal on him."

"It's not about that either. Has he....has he ever struck you as odd?"

"Oafish? Yes. Ignorant? Yes. Dense as a stone wall? Yes. He's a lot of things, Harry. What do you mean by odd?" She counted off the descriptions one finger at a time.

"I don't know." Harry didn't meet her eyes. "Violent?"

Granger snorted. "Hardly. As I said, he's all talk. The second it comes to backing it up, he shrinks like a daisy out there. You've seen him."

Harry had in fact seen him in duels. He wasn't the most talented of duelists, but he thought Granger undersold him. Weasley was tenacious and consistent, but lacked the nous and skill to best superior duelists. It was still unsettling to discover that Weasley wasn't anything like Finch-Fletchley. Then again, no one thought Justin was the person he was either. Could it be that both of his attackers were that adept at hiding their true selves? Somehow, Harry doubted that.

"Why so curious?" Granger asked.

"Nothing. He's been a bit of a tosser in the hallways."

It wasn't actually a lie, but it was farther from the truth than Harry made it seem.

"Your friends don't really help," she said.

Harry shrugged. "What are you going to do? It's Gryffindors and Slytherins after all."

"Oh yes, group autonomy. Surely there'll be no harm in that." Granger's expression was one of deep sarcasm.

"Anyways, I have to look up a few things, but this is progress, Harry. There's a spell somewhere in there."

Yet, Harry wondered how much progress he was making at all.

* * * * * * *

Fortunately, Harry was presented with the prime opportunity to confront Weasley when next attending Battle class. It was a session with Gryffindors and if Harry deduced correctly, it would be a House match instead of individual duels. The rankings were closely contested though Slytherin still far outranked the other three houses. At the end of the year, a larger competition was usually brought about to determine the eventual contestant House against the other years.

Snape arrived precisely on time, a man of many machinations as Harry had learned throughout the years. Yet, the headmaster looked a little worse for wear as he approached the magical entrance to the Room of Requirement. His frown was deeply set, his eyes cold as it perched over his hook nosed. Even the magical resonance surrounding him was irritated.

"Gryffindors first," Snape hissed, not bothering with any pleasantries.

They lined up in order and Harry briefly caught Granger's eye. She was dressed in all gray fitting robes, her hair tied into a tight bun, her youthful face marred by fatigue. Harry didn't miss the competitive gleam in her eyes and the way her lips were set into a razor thin line. He knew from personal Occlumency experience that she absolutely abhorred losing.

"Remember what we talked about," Harry whispered to Blaise as he looked at the rangy redhead.

Weasley hadn't so much as looked at him though the boy didn't appear nervous. Harry would have thought that the freckled giant would have at least been apprehensive given their last encounter, but then again, he hadn't shown any sign of nervousness up until now. The thought that Weasley's attack on him was a random hit had occurred to Harry, but there were far too many coincidences in this case.

"Gryffindor enter," Snape commanded.

The line of gray uniforms entered the door as it appeared, the golden patch embroidered with a lion standing as the only difference from Harry's own outfit. Snape waited a few moments, his eyes closed in concentration before a separate door appeared out of its own accord. Stepping out of the way with a flourish of his robes, Snape inclined them to enter.

Harry was the first one through the door and as the remaining light slowly diminished behind him until Snape finally closed the entrance, he realized that the darkness was more than just a momentary illusion. The darkness was real and it reminded him of the cave when he performed his wandless spell.

"Lumos," Harry breathed. The ball of light from the tip of his wand was fiercely bright in the darkness. After a brief bout of momentary blindness, his eyes adjusted as he took in his surroundings.

It's a cave.

Yet, it wasn't a cave. It was a tunnel, the walls thick with mud and clay. The similarities were off putting for a moment and Harry looked to his left to see Tracey eying the walls with some trepidation as well. She looked at him with the same expression.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Harry subtly nodded but returned to focus on the task at hand. The light from his wand only reached so far as there was a sharp turn ahead. The tunnel was large enough for two single columns to walk through though they would be shoulder to shoulder as they did so. Snape obviously meant for them to be uncomfortable. They had fought in close quarters before, but nothing like this setting.

"Two columns straight through. Draco, lead the other one," Harry ordered.

His command served two purposes. It kept Blaise and Tracey behind him as they were the only two he trusted should he be taken out leading the column. It also stroked Draco's ego while highlighting him as a likely loss should they encounter a surprise within the tunnels. The blond followed suit, strutting forward arrogantly as he cast a Lumos with his own wand as well.

"Follow my lead, Draco," Harry cautioned.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. Draco could be petulant at times, but his grievances usually came to a minimum while in Battle class.

They walked quietly, Harry and Draco side by side as they advanced through the first turn. Immediately, Harry was uncomfortable in the tight confinement. The darkness and low roofs reminded him too much of that cupboard under the stairs. Fighting to keep his breathing steady, Harry marched on, acutely aware that any sort of resistance would result in a massive duel with nowhere to dodge or deflect.

"If we're still in tunnels when we meet the Gryffindors, Draco and I will take the first barrage with Protego's. When there's a lull, we'll kneel down so the rest of you can hit them with your spells. Rotate the back end so you don't get tired," Harry ordered.

There were murmurs of agreement from the back, but they were packed in so tight that Harry couldn't bother turning around. The soft breath behind his neck indicated that it was Tracey who was behind him. Reaching backwards, Harry squeezed her hand for a moment, signaling that it was okay. Truth be told, it was just as much for his selfish reasons. Every step he took made the walls seem to come in a little closer.

As they proceeded down the mandatory tunnel, Harry discovered that it wasn't just his imagination. The walls were getting smaller around them as the tunnel funneled down to the point where the idea of two columns wasn't manageable anymore. Every single reason and instinct told him that it was an intentional trap as he motioned for the Slytherins to stop behind him. The muddy tunnel continued forward, narrowing as it did so into one opening.

"What are we waiting for?" The anxious voice of Pansy Parkinson floated from somewhere near the back.

"Just wait," Harry hissed, "and keep it down back there."

Kneeling down, Harry remained utterly still, staring at the gaping hole where they were being asked to follow. Momentarily closing his eyes, Harry tuned his other senses and felt the quick draft blowing through the narrow entrance.

An opening.

At once, Harry realized Snape's intentions. The tunnel was psychological, a teaser to heighten tensions and nerves. It was even working on Harry, the restricting confinements reminding him of his time at Number Four. Yet, if Harry was correct, the narrow entrance would spill into a larger atrium where they would duel against Gryffindor. There may be more obstacles yet ahead, but Harry was confident their adversaries would be near.

Opening his eyes, Harry turned around, slowly shifting his body as to not touch the walls.

"Listen, I think the Gryffindors are going to be on the other side of this opening," Harry told them.

Draco looked at the shoulder width entrance and shook his head. "We're like bloody Flobberworms going through that thing. They'll tear us a new one!"

Harry shook his head. "Snape won't give them that much of an advantage."

"How do you what Snape's going to do? He's barking mad sometimes," Pansy retorted.

"Trust me. I've gotten you this far," Harry pointed out. "We've won every single House match this year. I'm not going to stop now. The Gryffindors are on the other side of this opening. I'll go first, but everyone has to fan out in both directions when come out of there. It has to be quick so alternate the way you come out of the cave and randomize your direction. It might be tight in there too, so be prepared."

"How the bloody hell are we supposed to fight in tunnels?" Blaise grumbled.

"Speed counts, and so do your shields." Inspired, Harry took the precious time to reorganize the line.

Standing behind Crabbe and Goyle, Harry looked up at the idiots, who had to stoop against the low ceiling.

"Remember, focus on Protego and getting us out of that entrance," Harry firmly commanded.

They were the perfect human shields, large and wide, providing plenty of natural coverage for his more skilled duelists. Crabbe and Goyle would no doubt take the brunt of the spells should the Gryffindors have some sort of leg up on them, but that was an acceptable loss. Neither of them were going to top the Master List anytime soon.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked Crabbe.

Crabbe stiffly nodded, his head scratching against the top of the tunnel. They raised their shields as they struggled through the slender opening and Harry's suspicions were confirmed as soon as a bright spell splashed against their defense.

"Quickly now!" Harry raised his voice as the buzzing of spells grew louder as Crabbe and Goyle struggled to fit through the opening.

Goyle, in particular, was having trouble fitting his shoulders through and came stuck. Crabbe could only hold on for so long on his own, so Harry came up to Goyle and started pushing the hefty boy.

"Draco, help!"

The Malfoy hesitated for a moment but leaped forwards and smashed into Goyle. The resulting impact must have loosened the hold the tunnel had on Goyle's shoulders as fabric ripped and the three of them collapsed in a heaping mess. A spell immediately whizzed by them and Harry turned around to see who had been struck.

Tracey was directly behind them, but instead of being hit by the spell, it bounced off her shield as she determinedly stepped over the bodies and fanned left, taking care to defend her body well. A surge of pride ran through Harry as he got to his knees and veered right, hoping the rest of his House would listen to his orders.

It was indeed a larger atrium. The ceilings sloped upwards in a dome that extended about fifty feet at the apex. On the ground, though, were stone structures that formed arches and alleys. It was a haphazard maze, jagged and snaking along in an unpredictable manner. The darkness remained and all Harry could see were the bright colors and flashy impressions of spells flying through the air.

Taking cover behind an archway, Harry observed the spells skewing upwards and downward with no rhyme or reason. It occurred to him that perhaps the Gryffindors couldn't see where they were aiming at as well. There were no obvious lights from any Lumos as Granger must have deduced that the cover of darkness would be more advantageous than announcing your presence with a glowing light at the end of your wand.

Blaise crashed next to him, his chest heaving and the whites of his eyes bright against his dark skin. He was crawling along the ground, dirtying his gray uniform as well. Harry grabbed him by the scruff of his collar as another spell crashed into the wall above his head, reigning debris down upon him.

"Did everyone fan out?" Harry asked amidst the chaos.

"As best I could tell. We went left and right but honestly, I can't see shit, Harry," Blaise said.

Blaise was absolutely correct. Visibility was at a premium and Harry could see no much further than a few feet in front of him. The only available light source was at the apex of the dome and it was barely useful. He could hear voices around him but he had no way of telling whether or not they were Slytherin or Gryffindor.

"Tracey!" Harry whispered loudly.

"What?" The disembodied voice sounded quite a distance away.

"How are you holding?"

"I'm hitting them back with spells." Her blunt response bellied the difficulty of the situation.

"HOLD!"

Harry could recognize Granger's feminine voice anywhere. The spells suddenly stopped, the air filled with dust and magical residue from the brief flurry of activity. Harry took shallow breathes, trying not to give himself away. His mind churned with strategic simulations as he tried to assess the scenario as best he could.

Their major disadvantage was that Gryffindor seemed to have jumped out to an early lead in regards to positioning. Positioning was key in House matches that were held in conditions such as the present. Snape often created a variety of different settings that would challenge their reactions in particular situations. Yet, they had fought in close quarters and earlier this year and had fought in less than visible conditions.

Unfortunately, there was something sinister about darkness. The fog was just a mystery, a question held in the air with a potential answer on the other side. The darkness, on the other hand, only spelled trouble for those who lay wait on the opposite field. It was a paralytic and at the moment, it was working. Harry and Blaise were pinned against an archway with no visible idea of where the rest of their House was.

Knowing all of this, Harry used the spell that Granger had used so many times before in the cave.

Pointing his wand in the air, Harry yelled, "Lumosonta!"

A bright ball rocketed out of his wand and separated into fragments during its ascent as light shone all over the enclosed dome. Not seven feet in front of him was a suddenly confused Neville Longbottom. Harry was so caught off guard at the sight of Granger's closest friend that the spell didn't come out of his mouth nearly quick enough. As Longbottom scrambled for his wand, Blaise still had his wits about him and shouted, "Stupefy!"

The spell him Longbottom straight in the chest as the pudgy boy collapsed. Harry had no idea why he was such a forward element but didn't have the time to think about it as a particularly nasty Boiling Jinx hissed by his skin. Their location was given away by Harry's spell but judging by the increased activity around them, it had caught the Gryffindors off their game. He could only hope that the Slytherins had used the momentary distraction to their advantage instead of being similarly paralyzed.

"Almost got cursed from Longbottom. What have we come to?" Blaise rhetorically asked as he brought up a shield from a rocking Blasting Hex. The sounds were increasing to a dim roar as the battle raged on in parts unknown to them. Harry pivoted around the corner and sent a Smoke Jinx that would trigger a thick puff of smoke if a spell triggered the surrounding area. The Gryffindors so neatly obliged and an impenetrable gray smoke suddenly filled the archway.

"Come on!" Harry yelled as he relocated his position, fighting his way through jagged stone and slippery mud, trying desperately to flank the Gryffindors.

Harry and Blaise quietly proceeded through the hazy corridors, habitually peeking just their heads around the corner and bringing their shields up in a precautionary move. The light from Harry's initial spell was starting to dim, but from a distance, Harry heard the spell again.

"Lumosonta!"

It was Granger again, taking the page out of his book and using it as her own as another ball of light splintered into fragments above them, casting eerie shadows in the darkness. It came from Harry's left, but there was no approximate path he could take given the complexity of the maze. Still, Harry pushed forward with Blaise right at his hip. The stone slabs high enough so that it was impossible to see over them, making the going slow.

The glimmering magical light casted strange shadows on each of their face's as they slowly moved adjacent left. Peering around the corner, Harry blanched as he saw a strong contingent of Gryffindors in a small clearing. Unfortunately, the clearing was well fortified and provided them ample cover from their spells. Putting a finger to his lips and mimicking shush, Harry jerked his head in the direction of the Gryffindor stronghold.

"Hermione, we got a few of them. Still can't find Potter," said the dread-locked boy Dean.

"What about Malfoy? I thought I saw him come in after that big oaf." It was her voice, but Harry couldn't physically see her and definitely did not trust her enough to stick his neck out just to strike her down. He distinctly remembered the last time he dueled with her.

"Can't find him either," Dean answered. "I think Neville's down for the count, I saw him a little while earlier."

"Neville! I told him not to go too far. Why does he never listen to me?"

"You're not his mother, Hermione."

Ron Weasley.

The slight whine and the cracking in the voice made evidence of Weasley's joining of the conversation. Blaise realized this too as his eyes grew wide even in the darkness. They had special plans for that particular Gryffindor.

"Rotate around again," Granger ordered. "We can't stay here, we're too open. Remember, do not engage Harry alone. Shoot up a light and I'll find you."

"Are you kidding me?" Dean snorted. "The Boy Wonder beat three Ravenclaws. I'm not bonkers enough to take him on by myself."

"He's not that scary," Granger reassured them. "Just reveal your location. I'll take care of the rest."

Quick on the turn, the Gryffindors scrambled through several other arteries of the maze to search for the rest of the Slytherins. Harry made sure to follow the patch of red hair as it disappeared around a corridor with Seamus the Irishman.

Pointing two fingers to Weasley's projected path, Harry nodded towards Blaise. Blaise returned a thumbs up and used his pointer and middle finger to point to each of his eyes and then back out at the clearing. Harry acknowledged his request to clear the perimeter before proceeding for Weasley.

Harry turned the corner, his wand outstretched but his body low as he hugged the walls and checked the clearing for any remaining Gryffindors. It seems though that they were true to their word and followed Granger and others in an attempt to find the remaining Slytherins. They were far more organized than Slytherin was and the squabbling and questioning as they decided to proceed through the narrow tunnel had lost them precious seconds to set up on superior ground.

Satisfied that the Gryffindors had moved on, Harry proceeded towards Weasley, hoping to find the red headed boy and inflict upon him more than just the shame they had used on Justin. It was certainly time for the stick instead of the bad carrot. Harry paused, Blaise right behind him as he heard a loud shout that resembled Pansy's high alto. After determining it wasn't nearby, Harry moved forward again as Blaise proceeded parallel to him, two shadows lurking against the wall.

Voices could be heard ahead and Harry looked back at Blaise and made a fist, then raised two of his fingers. Blaise nodded as he expected two ahead of them and took the lead, coming flat against the corner. Harry slid against the opposite wall, crouched, and leaned out for a moment to look down a particularly long corridor.

Weasley.

The burnt red hair was just barely visible among the periodic flash of spells. Harry made an OK sign with his fingers to Blaise and then held up the number three, adjusting the potential number of Gryffindors ahead. Harry leaned forward to engage Weasley, but Blaise's sudden movement stopped him. He held out his hand in an open palm, telling Harry to stop. Raising two fingers and mimicking a come here motion, Harry flattened against the wall as he heard footsteps in the opposite direction Weasley was facing.

Harry raised his pointer and thumb until it made an almost one hundred eighty degree angle and then brought his hands together to form a rough circle. It was their short hand code for lion or snake? Blaise only shook his head, unable to determine their identities in the darkness.

Harry knelt and cast two area trigger tripping spells that the two figures would cross. It would allow Harry a split second moment of identification before either stunning them or enlisting them to aid on their attack. The rushed footsteps were muffled against the mud and Harry waited until he heard the tell tale snap of the tripping spell activating.

Whirling around the wall, Harry looked down and just before he cast a Stupefy, he met Tracey's azure eyes. Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry pulled her up by the shoulder and brought her and Malfoy into their corridor to keep them out of the line of sight.

"Sorry about that," Harry apologized, keeping an eye on Weasley, who was currently engaging someone unknown.

"Thought we were done for when you sent me sprawling on my arse," Tracey smiled, her face caked with flecks of mud.

"Precautions. Up ahead, three Gryffindors," Harry whispered into her ear.

Tracey nodded, peeking out and adopting a charging stance. Nodding once to Malfoy to make sure he was good to go, Harry peeled out into the corridor, making a quick bee line for Weasley's position. The three other Slytherins followed in close behind him. Taking careful aim, Harry put a lot of effort into his spell.

"BOMBARDA!"

A simple stunner might have sufficed in taking Weasley out, but Harry wanted more than a simple stun. Rage coursed through him as he joined the fray, the darkness ablaze with spells flying over his shoulder as they slammed against the Gryffindor contingent.

It was Weasley, Dean Thomas, and Lavender Brown battling what looked to be the potential duo of Millicent and Nott. The entire group blinked in surprise as Weasley was propelled off his feet and smashed against an opposing wall. Such force was put behind the spell that they could visibly see the dust blow off his clothes on impact. Wasting no time, Harry fired two Stunners at Lavender, pressing his advantage.

The Gryffindor girl did well to block his initial attempts and in a move that surprised him for a moment, sent mud flying into the air. Fortunately, Tracey dispelled of it with a Banishing Charm and fired over his shoulder at Brown. The Gryffindor girl side stepped the spell and fired a Blinding Jinx that squared Malfoy in the face.

"Whaaaa!" Malfoy collided with a wall, losing his wand in the process, thus making it impossible to remove the jinx from his face.

"Lumosonta!"

Dean fired the spell in the air, hiding behind a structure as he did so. The bright light basked the narrow corridor in a full swathe of light, finally illuminating the battlefield to somewhat of a clear picture. Weasley was groaning against the wall, rolling around on the floor. Millicent and Nott had joined in while they whittled away at the two standing Gryffindors.

Lavender put on a brave fight, one Harry didn't expect, as she repelled the five of them along with Dean. Pure numbers won this skirmish however as they were stunned in a few short minutes while Tracey removed the Blinding Jinx from Malfoy's face.

"Where is that stupid bitch?" Malfoy raged as he looked around for Brown.

"We got her for you." Blaise laughed as he leaned against wall, fatigued from the fighting and trekking through the mud.

"Give me a perimeter for a moment," Harry ordered. "Malfoy, Nott, Bulstrode. Fan out."

Malfoy grumbled something again, displeased with his temporary blindness in the heat of the battle and having to take orders from Harry. He stalked off, splashing unnecessarily in the mud while Nott leeringly looked at the downed bodies of the rest of the Gryffindors before pushing up against a wall as well.

Once they were out of sight, Harry looked towards Tracey and Blaise and the two of them nodded and stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes looking around in the waning light while blocking Harry from view. Crouching down next to Weasley, Harry took in the sight of the moaning red head. There was most uncertainly a deep bruise or two and Harry suspected a cracked rib in the prospect. There was no sympathy from him, however, as he thought of the surprise attack so many months ago.

"Legilimens."

After weeks of training with Granger, sifting through an unprepared mind like Weasley was as easy as breathing. The childhood memories surfaced first, a creaking bent house filled with other red head siblings. Flashes of past duels and House matches were next in line as Harry searched Weasley's mind for the particular memory that would identify the two other bullies.

Plunging into a dark corridor not unlike the one he was at currently, Harry found himself in Hogwarts with four other people. Harry tried to ascertain their identities, but their faces were...blurred? It was as if there were a haze of blurriness on each of their faces besides Weasley. Harry wondered what sorcery this was as he watched the four of them wait for something.

"Who called this meeting?" It was a girl's voice, something that shocked Harry.

"You guys got the same letter as I did. Something about learning to take down Potter." This one was definitely Justin. The Hufflepuff always had a deeper timber than the rest of his classmates.

"Meeting in the middle of the night in dark hallways is a bit Slytherin for me," Weasley replied.

"Just shush." It was an indeterminable male voice.

Harry tried guessing their identities by other identifiers, but hoods were pulled around all their heads, masking any other potential clues. All of them were of average height and Harry could only tell the girl through her slightly slimming robes. Was it a spell they were using? He found that highly unlikely as the memory played forward. The only other explanation was that someone tampered with the memory, but it would be quite a feat to do so. Only a...

"Welcome."

A dark shadowy figure approached them from the end of the hallway, tall and imposing against the waning moonlight. Then, the memory vanished and Harry was yanked back into the real world courtesy of Blaise's hand shaking him out of the spell.

"Get up, Harry. Granger's here!"

Harry cursed profusely, mostly at Granger for her damned timing. He was at the cusp of finding out the orchestrator behind his attacks and it was interrupted by that know-it-all Gryffindor. As Harry stood up, he witnessed Nott and Bulstrode fly backwards and collapse in a heap together, apparently unconscious. Malfoy came racing around the corner, pressing his body against the wall with wild eyes.

"Bloody fuck. It's the Mudblood."

They were centered in the middle of three corridors and Granger was racing down on them from the same corridor that Tracey and Malfoy passed through.

"Was anyone with her?" Harry asked the blond as he formed his plan.

"I think - I think Patil? I don't know which one," Malfoy blubbered.

Harry nodded once, his mind back and forth between Weasley's memories and Granger's impending attack. "Tracey, take the wall on the left. Blaise, wall on the right. Malfoy, with me."

"With you?" Malfoy bewilderedly asked.

"Time to shine, Malfoy," Harry grabbed him by his shoulder and hauled him forward while Tracey and Blaise took their positions.

"What do you mean? Potter, let go of me!" Draco shrieked.

Pushing him against the wall, Harry looked at him dead in the eye, his face set in a grim line. "She's just a Mudblood, right?"

Flustered, Draco answered, "Well - well - yes! But shouldn't I be back there with the other two?"

"No, Draco. We meet her head on."

With that token, Harry pushed him forward into the line of sight, then yanked him back by his collar just as a spell missed him. At the same time, Harry pointed his wand around the corner and casted the wide net spell he learned during his lessons with Granger.

"Potter, let me go." Draco was near unbearable in the moment, clawing away from him. Harry pushed him away, tired of his antics and once again pointed straight down the hallway, hoping the net had slowed them down.

"Lumosonta!"

One more bright light exploded into tiny fragments, except it was directed at the hallway instead of straight into the air. The resulting concentration momentarily blinded Harry as he sprinted across the way, hoofing it to the other side in what he hoped to be under the cover of the blinding light.

He watched Draco scramble away as he waited and waited. Breathing only through his mouth, Harry stood with his back flat against the wall, his wand tucked into his chest as he held it there in preparation for Granger. Hopefully, she hadn't seen his quick dart across the hallway and would still assume they were to the right at the intersection instead of Harry waiting at the left.

There was a muffled discussion and the soft imprints of footsteps as the two Gryffindor girls slowly advanced. Judging by the lack of activity in the surrounding area, they seemed to be the remaining two representatives from Gryffindor. The wait was agonizing and Harry didn't dare chance a peek around the corner. He could only hope that Granger didn't realize his location and if he did, Tracey and Blaise were prepared enough to take her by surprise while he dueled with her.

One step.

Two step.

Three step.

Four step.

Five step.

Harry counted off the beats, sweat mixing with dirt and mud as it rolled down his back. The prolonged exposure to the dirty environments were taking a toll on his legs. His shins and ankles ached from plodding through the mud, not to mention the magical exhaustion of dueling and then performing Legilimency. He wasn't at peak condition and he could only hope Granger was similarly tired.

She turned left.

They came face to face and, once again, Harry was paralyzed. They were at arms lengths from each other and, in the back of his mind, Harry realized that Parvati had checked right while Granger checked left. It was the smart tactic. Acting on instinct, Harry called up the spell that was on his mind.

"Legilimens."

It was impressive that Granger constantly kept her mental checks around even in the heat of battle. It was nothing like Weasley's paltry defense. She immediately repelled him and pushed back into his mind and as fatigued as he was, he couldn't withstand the intense pressure. Incidentally, she picked the burning memory in his head and observed as he performed Legilimency on Weasley. Harry quickly mustered whatever remained of his magical strength as he banished Granger from his mind.

Pulled back into the present reality, Harry took in Granger's astonished and angered expression. An consuming streak of guilt overtook him as he opened his mouth in apology. She was never meant to know.

Then, she was falling forward into his arms and Harry instinctively reached out to catch her. Over her shoulder, Harry could see Tracey pointing her wand at them and realized that the trio of Slytherins on the other side of the hall had defeated Parvati handedly and only had to stun Granger while her back was turned towards them.

Harry and Hermione fell together, the latter collapsing into the other's arms as he lowered her to the ground gently.

Looking up, Harry could see Tracey's stone cold expression as she stared at the girl in his arms. Blaise and Malfoy were slapping each other's backs in congratulations, oblivious of the interplay going on before them. Harry looked down at Granger, unconscious in his arms as the muddy setting disappeared around them until they were in the blank white room that formed after Battle class was completed.

Granger looked helpless in his arms, mud and dirt all through her already unmanageable hair and cuts and bruises from spells she had absorbed. He knew he should let go of her, but he didn't want her body to be lying in the mud. He didn't have to look up to see Tracey's incriminating stare. As he gently lowered her to the ground, he realized that the mirage they had created - the secrecy and the lessons and the newfound discoveries - was slowly crumbling apart.

"We won, Harry!" Blaise exclaimed.

Looking down at Granger and avoiding Tracey's gaze, Harry replied, "Yes. This is winning."

* * * * * *

A/N: I know, I know, I didn't beat my estimate. Work has been slamming me, but I'm glad to get this update out. There might be a quick update tomorrow but if not, I will hopefully have it by the estimate below. Thanks again for all the kind reviews and I hope to hear more from you.

Estimated update time: 18 days

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